


the world in shades of red

by 90scyke (peachypiper)



Category: Daredevil (Comics), Marvel 616, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: (again. mild. cause i cant sex yet.), (it's not really an au?? it could fit in with canon quite plausibly), (mild. its not graphic mostly cause i cant drink so idk what its really like sdfjkl), Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shops, Dating, Drunkenness, Holding Hands, Kissing, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, So yeah, and in most cases he should be kept Away from scott, bc you Know. theyre superheroes, between scott and logan, btw scott's 21 here and matt's 23, btw this is from scott's pov!!, but this one is solely from scott's pov, but yes Blease remember that xavier sucks ass, i hate canon by the way, i just want scott 2 be happy and he needs a family, i know with what happened to what we used to be i am alternating povs, junior (undergrad) and freshman in law school respectively, just an experiment :), oh yeah, okay like. in this verse hes more inspired by evo xavier, so scott and him have an amicable and mostly loving father-son relationship, who is a Good Dad, xavier is still a Binch but it's played down here...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-17 02:10:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14178255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachypiper/pseuds/90scyke
Summary: scott summers is twenty-one and lucky as hell. he's gotten over all of those troublesome teenage woes, has wonderful - if irritating - friends who function almost as a found family, has been officially adopted by his mentor and surrogate father, is leading the x-men from the sidelines into the spotlight, and feels like he's on top of the world. in a way, he is. everything is where it's supposed to be; nothing's out of place. he's a free man.when professor xavier asks scott to come with him to columbia university for a lecture, scott's happy to tag along. however, he doesn't plan to meet matt murdock, a law student at columbia, whom scott - in the span of a few minutes - falls head-over-heels in love with. this is not what he expected. not at all.





	the world in shades of red

**Author's Note:**

> i love these boys... i thought about doing a "tactical village" (like from b99) style fic where scott and matt get stuck on the villains team (this would be post avx) because everyone thinks they look the same and also 99% of the avengers think scott's a frickin. villain. (wrong) but instead you got this because it came to me and it works. and it's fuckin adorable. theyre dorks.
> 
> anyway. i did my research... xavier taught classes at columbia for a while during the '80s uncanny (so not really while scott was part of the x-men) but it's plausible that he taught as an adjunct professor during the o5's tenure (but like. when they're old enough to be in college). also matt got his law degree from columbia so you know what that means!! (hint: gay)

There’s a bustling, lively feel to the place; students milling around the quad, chatting about their twenty-seven page papers and last night’s movie marathon. The brisk wind doesn’t hurry their travels - they’re just as happy to stand in the cold as long as they can talk with friends. It’s busy as all get-out, and loud, too. Everyone - every student, that is - is connected. Not physically, but through some sort of bond, a bond that links them all in their college experience. It’s almost a sort of energy that emanates from them, marks them as comrades, as companions in their own separate odysseys.

 

Scott frowns slightly, shifting uncomfortably on the verdigris-covered copper bench. That same energy that he can feel thrumming through the Columbia campus also marks him as an outsider, a stranger. So far he’s gotten one or two scornful or suspicious looks, but the amount of grief he’s received has been at an all-time low. It’d be nice if he didn’t feel so awkward.

 

[Professor?] he thinks loudly, hoping he’ll get a response.

 

[Not now, Scott.] The reply is short, clipped; he knows it’s because his mentor is in the middle of an important graduate genetics seminar, but he can’t help feeling dejected. He scuffs his soles self-consciously on the smooth sidewalk, drawing small, invisible circles underneath the bench with the toe of his shoe.

 

“So what am I supposed to do now?” he mutters under his breath, staring up at the cloudy sky above him. “Do I just sit here and wait for him?”

 

“Hi,” a brash, excited voice calls out, waving a hand in Scott’s direction. “I couldn’t help overhearing your frustration. Would you like to talk?”

 

“Sure,” Scott replies listlessly, pulling his legs up onto the bench and settling his chin on the tops of his knees. It’s not as if he has anything better to do.

 

“Well, I heard you ask if you’re just supposed to sit there and wait for God. You don’t have to! God will come for you, yes, but you have to take the first step. And it looks like you already did by proclaiming the start of your faith,” the student says enthusiastically. “What comes next is renouncing your sin! It’s probably the most heartfelt and the hardest part of your conversion, but it feels so…freeing! For me, it was nice because I knew, in that moment, that I would go to heaven and have eternal peace. God loves us all, but it helps Him when we own up to our faults.”

 

The urge to interrupt him before he finishes is overwhelming, but Scott manages to keep his mouth shut while the student rambles. “I’m sorry,” he says, feeling almost apologetic - the guy seems nice, sure, but he’s probably a Purifier or worse - “I didn’t mean to make you think I was interested in converting to Christianity. I’m just waiting for my mentor. He’s giving a talk on genetics today, and he sent me out here to wait.”

 

“Well, maybe you should consider God. Genetics is a false religion. It makes the abnormal and sinful seem acceptable to the uneducated. If this man’s your mentor like you say, you’re probably being indoctrinated into the cult of the sciences as we speak. He might have mind powers, coercing you to do his bidding.”

 

Scott almost snorts at that last part and the irony of it. While the Professor’s like a father to him, Scott’s never been fond of the borderline cavalier way in which he invades and rearranges minds, be it at a whim or for “the greater good of mutantkind”.

 

“So you think he’s a…”  _ Don’t say it, Summers, don’t say it… _ “You think my mentor’s a mutant?” Scott says, trying to keep the deliberately goading edge out of his voice.  _ Dammit. You’re done for now. _

 

“Who knows? At the least, he’s probably a supporter of their  _ disgusting  _ cause. He  _ is  _ a scientist, after all. You can never trust them,” the student says emphatically, gripping Scott’s shoulder like a vice. “We are the future, my brother. You can’t let that old man get to you.”

 

“Uh…” Scott bites his lip, unsure how to tell this complete stranger to politely stop touching him. “I guess God doesn’t like mutants then?”

 

“Oh, of course not. It’s even stated in the Bible. Implicitly, of course. Mutants weren’t around then.” The student removes his hand from Scott’s shoulder, if only to remove a small camouflage Bible from his pocket and flip through the pages. “‘He will decide with fairness for the afflicted of the Earth; And He will strike the Earth with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.’ You see, mutants are an abomination unto God - they are part of the ‘wicked’ the prophet Isaiah speaks of in this verse. They’re damned. Along with the homosexuals and the Muslims and all of the wrongs created by man to spite God.”

 

Scott bites back the urge to say, “Oh, yeah? Well - shocker - I’m a dirty mutie and a homo, so when’s your God gonna come hit me with a bolt of lightning?” He doesn’t need a fight, and he’s probably already used up his meager “impulsive decisions” fund for the year anyway. Plus, there’s the added deterrent of the Professor’s disappointment on finding out his prized pupil started a fight with what seemed like an innocent bystander. He’s about to say something a little less inflammatory, however, when he’s interrupted by another student’s call.

 

“Darryl? Cousin Darryl? Is that really you, come all the way from Idaho? Man, I never thought I’d be so glad to see you!” The newcomer approaches the bench with a broad grin on his face, pushing aside Scott’s unwanted companion and wrapping Scott himself in a warm hug before taking his hand and pulling him away. “Sorry, Tanner, but you know how often I see my family!”

 

To Scott, he says, “Sorry about that. I have no clue who you are, but you made a rookie mistake: don’t let Tanner talk to you. He doesn’t shut up.  _ Ever _ . He’ll talk for  _ hours  _ about how God hates everyone who’s not a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant. One time, I told him to start paying attention in Mass and he just shouted about ‘papists’ being creatures of hell and false religionists. Not the funnest time.”

 

“Oh” is the only thing Scott says, avoiding all eye contact with his rescuer. Not that he can really see his eyes through the red ( _ red? _ ) glasses that are almost a facsimile of his own. Of course, the new student’s glasses don’t surround his eyes the way Scott’s do, and there’s no energy sink that makes them glow.

 

“I’m Matt, by the way. You’re new here, yeah?”

 

“Oh. Um. I’m Scott. I don’t go here. My mentor - Dr. Xavier - is teaching a class today and he wanted me to tag along,” Scott says awkwardly. “‘Course, he dumped me out here once he reached the lecture hall. So I’ve been sitting on that bench for about an hour. And then… Tanner, right? Yeah. Tanner. Him. He approached me.”

 

“He’s pretty vile,” Matt says, nodding. “Did he give you the mutant speech?”

 

“Oh, yeah. ‘Mutants are a sin! Die, die, die, you abominations that threaten everything good in the world!’ You know. The works.” Scott gives him a small smile. “It’d be impressive if I didn’t hear it every day.”

 

“Oh!” Matt’s eyes light up behind his glasses and his face fills with animated energy. “You’re a mutant, then?”   
  


“Oh, um. Shit.” Scott flushes the scarlet of his glasses, the blush spreading all the way to the tips of his ears. “Yeah. I didn’t mean to slip up like that, though.”

 

“Ah. That’s alright. I get my fair share of shit in the world.” He taps his cane - a long, white cane Scott didn’t even notice was there - on the sidewalk. “I’m blind, if you can’t tell. Unless you actually can’t tell? Are you blind as well? I can hear you fidgeting with your glasses, but no cane, so…”

 

“I’m not blind, no. I mean, I need my glasses to see, ‘cause they contain my…‘gift’,” Scott replies bitterly. “But I’m not blind like, um, like you are.  _ Wait _ . Shit. Was that offensive? Pardon me. I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“Oh, no, you’re fine.” Matt waves a hand, laughing gently, and the matter is settled as soon as it arises. “The only thing I find offensive in sighted people is their pity for me. I manage fine on my own.”

 

“If it, uh, if it helps at all, I was practically blind until the Professor got these ruby-quartz lenses for me. So I kinda understand where you’re coming from there. Pity from adults was almost worse than the constant bullying from the other kids at the orphanage.” Scott pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose once more, then jams his hands in his jeans pockets. “Sorry if I was distracting you with my glasses, by the way.”

 

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Matt smiles, just for Scott’s benefit. “You learn to tune things like that out at some point. Sound is a crazy world to live in.”

 

“Oh. Okay. Sorry.” Scott runs a hand quickly through his hair.

 

“No need to apologize. Seriously. Don’t,” Matt says, placing a hand gently on Scott’s arm. “You’re fine. There’s nothing you’re doing that’s wrong.”

 

“Okay, um…” Scott looks up at Matt, taking him in all at once for the first time.

 

The soft ginger hair that flops in his eyes and the freckles peppered across his cheeks are backlit by the light streaming through the leaves, framing his face in gentle light. Glasses perched neatly on his streamlined nose give him an inquisitive and curious air that belies his calm demeanor, and he pulls off the argyle-knit sweater vest much, much better than he should be able to. His slender lips are downturned ever-so-slightly, showcasing his pink-pearl teeth (which Scott knows must be pristinely white). Put together, he’s like an angel - or perhaps a devil, Scott thinks to himself, astonished.

 

No, not quite “astonished”. That’s not the word. He’s  _ lovestruck _ . Head-over-heels, idiotically in love, crushing way harder than he knows he should be, than he knows is sensible.

 

“Oh, shit,” he says, feeling as if every breath he’s ever taken has been knocked out of his body. “Shit.”

 

“Hmm?” Matt breaks Scott from his reverie and Scott blushes, looking away. At this angle, facing Scott head on, with his perfect mouth opened just a little bit in concern, he’s nothing less than beautiful.

 

“Oh, um, nothing… Just, uh. Just thinking.” Scott fumbles over his words and tries his hardest to stop staring at Matt, but he finds his eyes drawn to him anyway.

 

“Thinking, huh? Dangerous,” Matt teases, laughing.

 

“Yeah, well…” Scott replies, smiling softly to himself.

 

“Well?” Matt prompts. “I’m waiting. You left me hanging there.”

 

“Well… Um… Oh! Shit! The Professor’s lecture is probably over now! I gotta go find him, so I guess I gotta leave.” Scott shifts on the balls of his feet, once again avoiding eye contact with Matt. “I, uh, I owe you, big time. I should make it up to you, so, um… There’s a little coffee shop in Greenwich Village called Coffee a Go-Go. We could… We could meet up there, I can get you coffee, I won’t owe you anymore. Um, yeah. It’s fine if you say no, I just want you to know that I intend to pay you back for this…”

 

“You don’t have to be nervous about it, you know. Expecting rejection all the time is more likely to end in rejection after all. Don’t set yourself up for failure,” Matt says sagely. “But I’d love to do coffee. Will tomorrow work? I don’t have any afternoon classes.”

 

“Oh! Oh, yeah, that’ll work,” Scott replies, a broad grin spread across his face. “I mean, you’re probably right about that rejection thing. I just, um… I don’t… You know. No self-esteem. I don’t even know how I ended up as the Professor’s top student.”

 

“You know, if I had to guess, I would say it’s because you’re a good student,” Matt says, nudging Scott with his elbow. “You do come off as that type of guy. If I had to peg you for anything, it’d be the hard-working, no-nonsense calculus student. The guy who doesn’t have any fun ever.”

 

“How’d you know?” Scott mumbled, blushing again. “I’m taking multivariable calculus this year with the Professor. I mean, he’s kinda our only instructor, but… I like it. It’s fascinating. You can do a lot with calculus. It’s so practical. I think it’s got so much potential, especially out in the field…”

 

“You lost me a bit there. Math was never my thing.” Matt shrugs, leaning on his cane in a nonchalant, relaxed position. “I’m here for law. Not much math there. Although I do have a couple of math and science classes I’m supposed to take as gen ed credits.”

 

Scott shakes his head violently and shudders. “Oh, I could never do that… I hate arguing. Hank and Warren don’t ever stop arguing, especially over Jean, and I can’t stand it. I just leave the room when they start.”

 

“They’re your roomates?”

 

“Yeah. Unfortunately. I mean, they’re wonderful, but they’re frustrating sometimes,” Scott explains, rubbing his temples as if preparing for a Hank-and-Warren-related headache. “And then there’s Bobby…”   
  


“Sounds like fun,” Matt says, eyebrows raised. “Me, I have Foggy, and he’s alright. He’s a little obnoxious at times, but he’s a good friend. I trust him.”

 

“Foggy?” Scott asks, bewildered.

 

“Franklin. They call him Foggy because… I’m not sure, actually. It’s not because of his lack of knowledge - he’s got an encyclopedia for a brain. His knowledge of the law is  _ astounding  _ sometimes,” Matt says.

 

“Oh, I see -”

 

[Scott! Where are you?] A sharp, crisp voice cuts across Scott’s thought channel and he almost jumps at the shock.

 

[Coming, sir!] he thinks back, turning to Matt. “Okay, coffee tomorrow at four?”

 

“Sounds good. It was nice meeting you, Scott,” Matt replies, tipping an imaginary hat in his direction and bowing.

 

“You too! See you!” Scott shouts hastily before rushing back to the science building to find the Professor. [Sir, I’m not sure where you are…]

 

“I’m right here, Scott.”

 

Scott whips around to face his mentor, breathing heavily. “Professor! Oh my God! I… You surprised me.”

 

The Professor wheels over to Scott and takes his hand, a bemused smile on his face. “You’re rather flustered, son. Did something happen?”

 

“I, uh, I met someone.” He blushes. “Not - I mean, not like that. He’s a student here. He, uh, seems nice and we talked. He saved me from a mutant-hating Bible-humper, so I invited him to have coffee tomorrow.”

 

“Scott, that’s not very nice,” his mentor chides gently, leading him to the Rolls-Royce. “We’re promoting tolerance. Even if our opponents are ignorant, it’s not kind to make fun. However, I’m very glad you’ve made a friend. You needed to branch out. I know you get along well with Henry, but Mr. McCoy cannot be your only friend.”

 

Scott flushes deeper and opens the car door for the Professor, letting go of his hand. “I’m not - Professor, I have friends.”

 

“Yes, but just because you have teammates who are far more gregarious than you does not mean you do not need to form bonds on your own.” His mentor quirks an eyebrow and gives him a pointed look.

 

“I - I…”

 

“Scott, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I only meant to congratulate you on your burgeoning friendship,” the Professor replies, placing his hand on Scott’s again. “I’m proud of you. You’re growing up to be a fine young man.”

 

“Thank you,” Scott mumbles.

 

The other man smiles and Scott turns to face the window, watching as droplets of rain spatter against the polished glass. He sees Terrell… Terrence?  _ Tanner  _ through the window, standing in the now-pouring rain and shouting Bible verses at passers-by, and he hopes Matt got back to his dorm alright.


End file.
